IDEAS IN FOOD: 31 entries from October 2017

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31 entries from October 2017

Combining Flavor Crystals

I had the opportunity to blend the delicious flavor crystals from Fresh Origins into an autumn-centric creation. I began with ginger and habanero. I added the hibiscus for floral acidity. I added some cranberry for a sharper tartness. The combination of flavors created a warm bright aromatic heat. Perfect for a doughnut and certainly applicable in savory applications from roasted lobster to caramelized pumpkin. Ideas and ingredients are best combined and built upon.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 31, 2017 at 05:07 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ghee is Clarified Butter with Character

We usually make our own ghee because we can't figure out why the stuff that's sold in markets is so expensive. It's a little bit nuts how much they charge you to cook your butter. It's easy to do at home. Simply dice up a couple of sticks of butter, put it in a small pot, and set it over medium low heat until it melts. Turn the heat up to medium and cook, stirring, until the butter solids turn golden brown. If you're going to strain your ghee, let it sit with the butter solids for a couple of hours first so that rich, toasty flavor infuses into the fat. Then strain off the butter solids and use them in bread or biscuits, or to baste some fish, vegetables, or meat. It's delicious stuff and should not be wasted. The ghee itself can go into a wide mouthed mason jar and live next to the stove. You can use it for almost all your cooking and you'll be amazed at how much more delicious everything you sear or saute will be.

Years Past

October 30, 2005 (2)

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 30, 2017 at 04:31 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Ingredients, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (4)

Intuition Is

The overlap of what we know, what we have experienced, and what we have forgotten informs our intuition.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 29, 2017 at 06:27 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bacon Fat Brushed Burgers

We are constantly tinkering, for improvement and to see what happens. We connect ideas when they are far apart and when they happen to be sitting next to each other. Our past experiences educate and often blind our possible discoveries. We started with the butter burger. At some point we tested the water burger. The two ideas were combined to become the heavy cream burger. We started brushing our burgers with oil, never considering flavoring the oil. Then I saw a pan of bacon fat and wondered why I wasn't brushing our onions and burgers with the smokey rich fat. Connections take time and coincidence.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 28, 2017 at 06:46 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pumpkin Scones

These are simple pumpkin scones. They come together quickly in the food processor and are perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack. They are tender and softly sweet with a rich pumpkin flavor. I made mine with vanilla but you can easily substitute pumpkin spices if that's what you're craving.

Pumpkin Scones:

makes 12 scones

3 cups AP flour
½ cup sugar

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
4 ounces cold, unsalted butter, diced
One 15-ounce can organic pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

Preheat your oven to 400°F

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a food processor. Pulse a few times to blend. Add butter and pulse 3-5 times to blend. Add pumpkin and vanilla paste; pulse to a soft dough. Turn out of processor onto a floured counter top. Use a bench scraper to fold the mixture a few times, it will be soft and moist. Flour as needed. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Shape each piece into round, approximately 6-inches in diameter. Use the bench scraper to cut each round into sixths and lay out on a baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes on a middle rack and then rotate the pan 180 degrees. Bake 15 minutes more. If you prefer a darker scone, broil briefly to achieve the desired color. Remove from oven and transfer scones to a rack to cool. Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 27, 2017 at 06:45 PM in Approach to Cooking | Permalink | Comments (0)

How Not to Roast a Chicken

There are days that illustrate why a sense of humor is so important, in the kitchen and everywhere else.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 26, 2017 at 12:29 PM in Approach to Cooking, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Food For Thoughts | Permalink | Comments (1)

Reading the Rags

The oven might be hot.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 25, 2017 at 07:40 PM in Approach to Cooking, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Super Cakes in the Robot

I spent yesterday morning and early afternoon making doughnuts in, our friend, Wylie Dufresne's beautiful doughnut shop. I was making our cider and Super Cake doughnuts for a presentation that I were doing with Wylie and Clare Gordon at this years Star Chefs ICC. Wylie designed his kitchen to be an efficient doughnut producing machine as well as a beautiful space to cook. The combination of beauty and functionality guided by Wylie's baked-in efficiency and passion for a design aesthetic meant I had a lot to observe and absorb. It also meant I was able to run our Super Cake doughnuts through a doughnut robot. The doughnut robot is the several steps up in efficiency from the doughnut depositor we currently use. It also has the benefit of being able to make a slightly larger cake doughnut, an added benefit for me.

As the morning progressed, and the team at Du's finished their morning production, there was a window to load our super cake batter into the robot. Wylie tested one doughnut. The results were wonderful. The doughnut had a bit more size and the robot did the cooking and flipping. With the initial test a success we flipped a switch and let the robot work. And boy did it work, extruding our super cakes while I tended to organizing my chaos for the presentation.

What does this mean for us, our process and our doughnut shop. I learned. I explored. I tested. There is more work to be done. A doughnut robot has tremendous potential for us, though the financial outlay is an obstacle. Working around Clare and Wylie brought insights into the worlds of other doughnut obsessives and fueled my own obsession further. I realized we can only achieve what we are willing to reach for.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 24, 2017 at 01:03 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (0)

There's Beauty In The Process

For some reason whenever I try to upload my pictures, Typepad is turning them sideways. I've tried using my computer and my phone. I've tried editing them to match the turn so that they would appear right-side up but no dice. They just appear at a different angle. No matter what I do they won't appear right-side up. Eventually I decided to run with it. While this is not the process I had intended to write about, the fact that I am being forced to look at things from a different angle can reveal a new beauty in the process.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 23, 2017 at 05:34 PM in Approach to Cooking, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Apple Cake

I stumbled across this apple cake as I was wandering through the internet last week. Something about it spoke to me and I immediately started peeling and dicing apples. The dark rum makes this cake special, giving it a roundness and depth of flavor that made the most of my apples. I used avocado oil instead of butter and added a dash of cinnamon and cardamom to play up the rum. The cake was moist and rich without being heavy. It was a hit and nobody guessed that dark rum was the secret ingredient, they just happily devoured every crumb.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 22, 2017 at 07:19 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes | Permalink | Comments (2)

Sheets and Coils and Appreciation For Thickness

We used the lasagna die for the AEX18 to make lasagna sheets. We used die number 13 to make extra thick spaghetti. Both preparations focused on our appreciation for thicker noodles. The lasagna die is adjustable and allows us to make noodles thin enough for ravioli and thick and sturdy sheets for lasagna. The thick spaghetti is the antithesis of fresh extruded pasta. It takes at least 7 minutes to cook. When it is cooked the time is worth it. The spaghetti has a dense chew and a presence that we crave.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 21, 2017 at 07:09 PM in American Noodles, Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (2)

Salted and Smoked Sous Vide Steaks

We seasoned the steaks with salt and let them sit on a rack in the refrigerator for 2 days to absorb the salt. We put the steaks into a vacuum bag with smoked soy sauce and butter. We cooked the steaks for 2 hours at 52.5°C. We removed the steaks from the water bath, cut the bag open and poured the contents on to a plate. We let the steaks rest for 15 minutes. I heated the grill as the steaks rested. I grilled the steaks, flipping and dipping them into the meat infused smoked soy sauce butter on the plate. When the exterior was browned we put the steaks back onto the plate, turned them a few times to occupy me as the meat rested again. The result was a juicy, browned, slightly smoked steak with abundant juices to dip and drag them meat through.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 20, 2017 at 06:17 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (2)

Triple Apple Sauce

This year I wanted to make an intense, fruity applesauce. Normally I simply use apples, apple cider and salt. This year I decided to bump up the flavor with some of Wood's Boiled Cider. We've written about this stuff before, it has a wonderful tangy, sweet flavor that was the perfect addition to my applesauce. I put about 8-9 large apples (peeled, cored and chunked) from a mixed basket, a cup of cider, and 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt in a large pot and let them simmer until the apples were falling apart. Then I added 1/2 cup of boiled cider to round things out. The boiled cider gives it an almost honey-like flavor, with floral notes and a deep fruitiness--though it doesn't have that cooked intensity that you get from apple butter. It's a delicious, intense apple sauce that will likely make an appearance on a doughnut this weekend.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 19, 2017 at 06:17 PM in Approach to Cooking | Permalink | Comments (0)

Offal Good

It's not easy to make tripe look beautiful. It's also not surprising to me that the tripe on the cover of Chris Cosentino's book: Offal Good, Cooking From The Heart With Guts, is. We've been waiting for this book for years, perhaps since the very first time we ate at Chris' restaurant, way back in the day. He has a way with the odd bits and special bites. I think it's because they inspire passion in him. he's never wavered from his dedication to using all the parts and pieces of an animal, especially those that others shy away from. It's not an easy path because most people are hesitant to embrace organ meat and pig ears. Chris persevered and built up a clientele that appreciated his passion and enjoyed his many wonderful culinary offerings. He sent us a copy of his book and we were so excited that we dove into it right away. It's beautiful and whimsical and as straight forward as he is. His recipes will teach you about ingredients that you may not have considered cooking and the photography, by Michael Harlan Turkell, will convince you that you should consider cooking them yourself or visiting Chris' restaurant to taste what the fuss is all about. Offal Good a book that will inspire you to think, to appreciate stepping outside the culinary box, and perhaps, to cook some odd bits of your own.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 18, 2017 at 04:11 PM in Balancing Tastes, For the Bookshelves, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Minced Together: Pepperoni and Mortadella

Two great tastes that were destined for each other.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 17, 2017 at 12:19 PM in American Noodles, Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sam Kass

Sam Kass explains why school meal programs are so important to all of us in this important Ted Talk. Because our kids are going to shape the world and they need to be well fed in order to be everything that they can be.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 16, 2017 at 06:12 PM in Beyond the Kitchen Doors, Videos | Permalink | Comments (0)

Spinach Lasagna

There are plenty of recipes out there for how to make spinach lasagna. Here's my special trick. You take the fresh baby spinach and puree it in a food processor with some ricotta and parmigiano-reggiano until it's creamy and bright green. Do not cook it. I alternate spreading my layers of fresh pasta dough with a mozzarella/ricotta/parmigiano mixture and the spinach blend, adding plenty of sauce to each layer. The lasagna bakes up beautifully and the spinach retains a vibrant green color and a fresh flavor that you can't get with blanched leaves. It's beautiful and it's a spinach lasagna that actually highlights the spinach.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 15, 2017 at 06:11 PM in Approach to Cooking | Permalink | Comments (1)

Doughnut Cone Ice Cream Sandwich

Roughly a year and a half ago we made our first doughnut ice cream cone. My innovative approach to frugality did not outweigh the impracticality of making ice cream cones--they stale quickly. In addition, we created a demand for our doughnut debris, the main component in our doughnut cones. So, the cones were shelved for a while we rethought the process.

Our Curiosity Doughnut, an ice cream sandwich made with a split doughnut and fresh pulled frozen custard, has a cult following. It is a bit messy though and has been overtaken by the "a la mode." The custard-topped doughnuts are often gilded with warm caramel or hot fudge. Doughnuts and custard are meant to be together. For the purists we recommend a cup of custard to be served alongside the doughnuts. But sometimes we are on the move and want something compact and easily savored. That is what sparked the development of the doughnut cone ice cream sandwich.

We press our cider doughnut bites in a waffle cone maker. The bite spreads and makes a stroopwafel-esque cookie. We put frozen custard on the cooled doughnut waffle cone discs and top them with a second disc, pressing them together into a small ice cream sandwich. Today we rolled some of the sandwich edges in our oatmeal cream pie crumbs and set them in the freezer to firm up. When they were solid we dug in. The cones softened a bit in the freezer, creating a still crunchy and tender exterior to complement the tangy, creamy custard. The crumbs provided aromatic spices and a sweet textural aspect to the sandwich. With these first sandwiches down and a model in place, it is now time to put our puzzle pieces to work.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 14, 2017 at 06:44 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (0)

Inspiration and Perspective

I love pulling off cake papers. There's something so satisfying about the way they peel away from the crumbs. It's a small pleasure that always brings a smile to my face. Today after I successfully pulled the paper from my marble sponge cake, I was struck by the pattern it left behind. It's the shadow of my cake, a small record of how I created it, and it was discarded moments after this shot was taken. Still, for me, it was a picture worth remembering. There's beauty in the remnants we take for granted and then toss in the trash.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 13, 2017 at 06:32 PM in Food For Thoughts | Permalink | Comments (0)

The First Pumpkin Pie

...of the season is rarely picture perfect. I generally decide to make it on a whim and then have to fit it into my day. Today I wanted to give the filling some time to steep with the spices--I rarely make spiced pumpkin pie, so I made it first thing in the morning. Then I forgot about it and, sometime in the afternoon, I suddenly realized that I hadn't made my pie crust. It didn't have time to set in the freezer for fifteen minutes or so before baking and as a result some of the crust drooped instead of standing tall. No matter, it will still taste good.

I don't understand the whole pumpkin spice season that started about a month ago. Not everything needs to touch of sweet spices to be special. Last year I didn't make a single spiced pumpkin pie but today I wanted to taste what the fuss is all about. This time around I made a standard blend of sweet spices: a teaspoon of cinnamon, a teaspoon of ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom. It sounds like a lot of spices but somehow they come together into a harmonious whole, that is warming, comforting, and delicious. I don't know that I'd put it in my coffee or tea or ice cream or whatever, but it is very tasty in pumpkin pie. I've included some of our earlier pumpkin pie recipes below, you can simply swap out this more classic pumpkin spice blend for the one in the Spiced Pumpkin Pie below to make this first pie of the season. I'm sure there will be more as the days progress.

Pumpkin Pie

Dulce de Leche Pumpkin Pie

Spiced Pumpkin Pie

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 12, 2017 at 06:25 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes | Permalink | Comments (0)

Smoked Honey

The last time we made smokey honey, we blended smoked paprika into honey. Today we finally smoked honey. We used our tube smoker to give it a subtle smoke. The list of applications for smoked honey is longer than we can realistically get to: basting crustaceans, spreading on toast, making smoked honey mustard, drizzling on roasted nuts, making a glaze for doughnuts, drizzling on pizza, glazing root vegetables, serving with cheese and charcuterie. Hopefully we will begin working with many of these options and inspire you to take the ball and run with it.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 11, 2017 at 04:41 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (3)

Massaging Kale

I am way late to the kales salad party. I saw all these recipes for massaged kale and they made me scratch my head but I never went ahead and read any of them--until today. I always figured that marinating the salad in dressing would do whatever the actual massage was supposed to do. It does, to a certain extent, but it takes time. After reading various accounts of how the massage magically mellowed the greens and made them softer and sweeter, I finally took the plunge. It was kind of theraputic. Crushing the greens in my hands took a lot more effort than I was expecting it to. After a while I got into it and began to enjoy the process. When I tasted the greens I realized that had mellowed more than they ever did in a simply marinated salad. Sheer brute force is exactly what my baby kale needed to elevate it's flavor. Who knew? Well, apparently the rest of the internet knew a long time ago, but at least I got there eventually.

Years Past

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 10, 2017 at 06:19 PM in Approach to Cooking | Permalink | Comments (2)

Gingerbread Crumbs

We were experimenting with gingerbread recipes and the latest one was delicious, but a little too tender. As it cooled it slowly fell apart, chunks of cake falling from the top. That said, it was delicious, so we knew that it must have another purpose--gingerbread crumbs. The first idea is blending them with chocolate and using them as an intense doughnut topping and frozen custard accompaniment. They would also be a delicious crumb sprinkled on roasted root vegetables. The crumbs could be utilized as a sweet or savory polenta. Their intense sweet-spicy flavor would make a bright crust for game, scallops, lobster, foie gras, salmon and more. They would be an excellent addition to pasta fillings from roasted squash to parsnip puree. They could be ground finer and used to make a petit beurre. The potential is in the questions we ask as we comb through the possibilities.

Years Past

October 9, 2015

October 9, 2011

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 09, 2017 at 07:27 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Breakfast Essentials

We started with a milk glazed super cake doughnut. We added a splash of coffee glaze and a splash of banana glaze. We topped the banana with our white chocolate Cornflakes crumbs. We combined a bunch of icons to make an essential breakfast doughnut.

Years Past

October 8, 2012

October 8, 2011

October 8, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 08, 2017 at 06:38 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Curiosity Doughnuts | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ginger Sugar

As gingerbread season approaches, this is a great time to remember that processing your fresh ginger with the sugar in your recipe really helps spread the flavor throughout the cake and bring forward the ginger's sweet, spicy heat.

It's also an amazing jump start for making ginger simple syrup.

Years Past

October 7, 2016

October 7, 2015

October 7, 2014

October 7, 2013

October 7, 2012

October 7, 2011

October 7, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 07, 2017 at 06:56 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, Ingredients, INSPIRATIONS | Permalink | Comments (1)

Have It Your Way

As soon as Amaya started going to preschool she discovered Oreos. They were not a cookie that we normally kept at home and she asked if we could get some. How could I say no? Oreos are near and dear to my own heart. They were a cookie I didn't really embrace until I went away to summer camp. At Silver Lake they were serious currency, smuggled in by many a camper, and hidden in their trunks. I couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about, but after several late night cookie sessions, I was hooked. On visiting day I hit the supermarket and stocked up on Oreos so I would have a supply of my own.

It had been years since I had even considered buying one. Of course I read labels and ended up buying Newman-O's instead of actual Oreos. Amaya chafed for a bit at the substitution but quickly realized that these cookies were equally delicious. The first time we ate the together she watched in horrified fascination as I scraped off the filling and discarded it. I explained that I preferred the cookies without it. When we opened our most recent package of cookies, I pulled out the homemade Cool Whip. I separated the cookie, scraped out the filling and handed her half. Then I showed her how to dip it in the Cool Whip and eat them together. She really enjoyed that cookie. But next time around, she used a regular cookie for dipping and informed me that double filling was even better.

Years Past

October 6, 2016

October 6, 2015

October 6, 2014

October 6, 2013

October 6, 2012

October 6, 2011

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 06, 2017 at 04:01 PM in At the Table | Permalink | Comments (0)

Green Chile Cheddar

Hatch green chiles are iconic. There flavor, when roasted, is smokey with a tar like aroma. They have some spice and a juicy sweetness. When we lived in the Southwest they were our choosen topping for burgers and the mix in of choice for queso fundido. I was floored with joy when we came across green chile cheddar. We put it to good use immediately, topping a chicken and re-fried bean casserole with the aromatic and seasoned cheese. The delicious combination of chiles and cheese, happily united, brought joy, was equally impressive in actual eating, and is now bouncing around my thoughts with its possible applications.

Years Past

October 5, 2015

October 5, 2012

October 5, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 05, 2017 at 07:29 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS, Icons and Alliterations | Permalink | Comments (0)

Apple Pie Scones

Sometimes you just get a craving. It's apple season and still early enough that we are enjoying them several times a day. Apple pie for breakfast is one of my favorite things and I though that translating the idea of pie into a scone would make it a good after school snack for a play date. The scones would would be a little bit healthier and lot less messy, but hopefully just as delicious as the actual pie. According to the eight year old girls that devoured them, I hit my goal.

Apple Pie Scones

Makes 12 scones

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup brown sugar (whatever version you prefer)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground mace (or nutmeg)

4 ounces cold unsalted butter, diced

1/2 cup apple cider

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup finely diced apple (about 1 large, we used Honeycrisp)

2 tablespoons caramel sauce

1 tablespoon coarse sugar

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Put the whole wheat flour, white flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and spices in a food processor and grind for 15-20 seconds, until it forms a uniform powder.

Add the butter and pulse a 5-6 times to blend.

Combine the apple cider and heavy cream.

Add them to the food processor and pulse to blend. It will form a crumbly mass. Do not over process, it should look like soft, streusel dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter top. Break the dough apart with your fingers and spread the crumbs out across the work surface. Sprinkle with flour as needed and give the top of the dough a fine dusting of flour when you're done.

Sprinkle the apples over the dough.

Use a bench scraper to fold the apples into the dough, gently pressing them together. It will take 4-6 folds to bring everything together. Divide the dough in half and gently pat the two pieces into small rounds, approximately 6-7 inches in diameter. Generous flour the tops and bottoms to keep them from sticking.

Use the bench scraper to divide each round into 6 pieces, cutting each in half and then each half into thirds.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and then arrange the scones onto the pan in a 3-by-4 grid. Brush the tops of the scones gently with caramel sauce. It's easiest to put a generous amount of caramel on the pastry brush and gently dab it onto the center of each scone, spread it as much as you can--but don't get crazy with it if the apples start moving around. The caramel will naturally spread as it sits on the dough. Sprinkle the top of each scone with some sugar.

Bake for 15 minutes and then rotate the pan and bake for 10 minutes more until the scones are set and golden brown.

Let cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Do not let them cool completely on the parchment paper or they will stick.

Years Past

October 4, 2015

October 4, 2012

October 4, 2008

October 4, 2005

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 04, 2017 at 06:03 PM in Approach to Cooking, Bakers Dozen, Balancing Tastes, Recipes | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sugar Seared Toast

Years Past

October 3, 2015

October 3, 2012

Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work

Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table

Posted on October 03, 2017 at 07:40 PM in Approach to Cooking, Balancing Tastes, CULINARY EVOLUTIONS | Permalink | Comments (0)

Parmesan Buttermilk

After making our Parmesan butter, we put the buttermilk to use first. I added it to a base of hand crushed tomatoes to make a light sauce for spaghetti. The cheesy buttermilk added richness and a smooth umami to the tomatoes. The result was a quick version of a country club classic sauce, which blends alfredo and tomato sauce at the Sunday night buffet. I should know, I made many a pan full of this sauce for guests as I learned to work propane burners and flip pasta in a pan at my first official restaurant job way back in the day.

Years Past

October 2, 2015

October 2, 2012